


A Little Crush

by celastris



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: A little angst, F/M, Fluff, i know this fic makes me look like i hate soda but i dont, ill write him to be more likeable later i swear, please let me know if theres any tags i should add!, this is my first fanfic i've felt confident enough to post pls dont roast me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:05:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27430171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celastris/pseuds/celastris
Summary: He did not know where it had begun.It was not a crush, per se—the concept itself was enough for him to gawk at. Gundham Tanaka, Lord of Darkness, Ruler of all things Dark and Demonic, taking a fancy to a mere mortal? Unthinkable! However, as Gundham would often tell himself, Sonia Nevermind did seem to have that effect on almost everyone she interacted with, at least to some degree...
Relationships: Sonia Nevermind/Tanaka Gundam, Sonia Nevermind/Tanaka Gundham
Comments: 17
Kudos: 67





	A Little Crush

**Author's Note:**

> yoooo so this is my first fic i've ever felt comfortable enough to post so, don't judge me too hard pls lmao. also, contrary to what it seems, i actually love kazuichi and plan on writing better characterizations of him in other stories i swear, but i also feel like his obsessive behavior is less endearing and more nasty at times, to the point where this fic makes him look a lil bad, (so i think he could do well with a little scare to get into his head that he needs to chill out a lil lol). 
> 
> also i love gundham so much. hamster man go brrr

He did not know where it had begun. 

It was not a crush, per se—the concept itself was enough for him to gawk at. Gundham Tanaka, Lord of Darkness, Ruler of all things Dark and Demonic, taking a fancy to a mere mortal? Unthinkable! However, as Gundham would often tell himself, Sonia Nevermind did seem to have that effect on almost everyone she interacted with, at least to some degree. The way she carried herself, the sweetness of her charismatic voice, her constant unyielding kindness and optimism, the way she tried so vehemently to use outdated Japanese slang to be ‘hip’—and that wasn’t even the half it. With her angelic looks and bubbling charismatic personality, one could not help but blush upon conversing with her.

That being said, Gundham too found himself enraptured with the princess at times. He had done a decent job convincing himself it was for the same reason as anyone else; that Sonia simply had that ‘princess charm’ about her. By doing so, he could continue to maintain his air of mystery and darkness, impervious to the effects of a simple passing fancy.

Her infectious unyielding positivity baffled him sometimes—she even remained warm and civil with Souda, despite his irritating obsessive behaviors towards her. He honestly didn’t understand how Sonia maintained such a patient manner with the neon haired boy, because god knows he himself wouldn’t in her position. 

Speaking of the devil, he had been pondering this all on the way back to his cottage, after another exhausting day of his tending to various talent-based activities involving animals of sorts—the cows and chickens and such. He had also gotten around to doing some light reading in the library, which was a much needed break from the monotony of everyday work. However, having lost track of the time, he was walking back to his cottage in the dark of night, exhausted and half-conscious, only to see that flash of neon pink in the distance. 

“For Satan’s sake, what is he doing out here…”

Soda had managed to fashion a good portion of his cottage into a sort of workspace—expanded it, put in the necessary appliances, as well as supplies and various materials. It functioned as a makeshift warehouse, and Gundham found it to be quite impressive. He had tried to mention this to the mechanic before, but, to his chagrin, being called “quite the innovator, even for a lowly mortal such as yourself!” was not taken well. Regardless, Gundham could not quite comprehend why he was also out here at the late hour of 12:00 am. He didn’t have any work to keep him out late, and most everyone on the island had been pretty busy and presumably were not out socializing at this hour.

Gundham brushed those thoughts off as he took a breath and gathered himself, prepared for an awkward greeting between the two on the way to his cottage. It was not that _he _was awkward, a being such as himself could never be described by such an adjective, but rather it was that he found it bothersome to navigate the intricacies of mortal conversations. Souda was one of the greater annoyances to speak with, not because Gundham had any ill feeling towards him, but more because Souda did not seem to like him, and made an embarrassingly strong effort in all of their conversations to emphasize this.__

____

Gundham rounded the boardwalk’s slight curve and begun to approach him, boots clicking softly on the wooden walkway as he geared up to give the mechanic a quick greeting as he passed by. He felt his heartbeat speed up a bit, however, when he saw that he was not in fact alone, but talking to a girl. A girl with long, golden hair.

____

Damn.

____

He pulled his scarf up a tad, trying to cover the faint blush blooming on his cheeks. He did not have his Dark Devas with him, as he made sure to drop their sleeping little selves off at his cottage upon passing it earlier, to get some rest, before heading off to the library. This in mind, he pulled his scarf a little tighter, but stopped in his stride as he came within earshot. 

____

“Souda-san, I apologize but I really do need to be returning home now—”

____

“Miss. Sonia, you just look so beautiful in the moonlight tonight.”

____

Gundham did his best to think logically, of how to resolve what seemed like a petty but irritating conflict Sonia had found herself in. These thoughts were promptly smothered by what he saw next.

____

“That is quite lovely of you to say, but please let me go, I really am exhausted—”

____

“I don’t think you understand Miss. Sonia, that I will do anything for you, whatever you need. Souda went on to punctuate this statement by stepping even closer, trapping her between him and the wall behind her. Her voice cracked a little as she faltered from her calm and courteous façade, clearly having been trying to escape this scenario for a gratingly long time.

____

“Kazuichi, please stop dammit, let me go!” Sonia’s voice shook as she tried to be more assertive, her accent thickening a bit, and forgetting to use his last name, something unusual for someone who studied the language so passionately. She tried to take a step to the side and maneuver her way out of her position, but he grabbed her forearm as she did so.

____

Gundham was not an impulsive person, by any means. A bit dramatic at times, but he was never one to make reckless decisions—this, however, was an exception. His reaction may have been exacerbated by his state of exhaustion and irritability, but he felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he marched over to them, stride heavy and even. 

____

“Gundham!” Sonia said, her eyebrows knit in concern. Souda didn’t see him until Sonia did, his back to the fast approaching boy. He whipped around as Gundham approached, stepping back from Sonia with his arms up in a surrendering motion.

____

“Hey Tanaka!” he said, voice cracking up an octave, “What’s happening buddy!”

____

Gundham felt himself grow redder, and for once, not out of embarrassment, but anger. “What do you think you are doing to the Lady Sonia?” he said, taking a step closer and leering over Kazuichi. 

____

Kazuichi gave a nervous chuckle, sweat beading on his brow, “We were just talking, weren’t we Miss. Sonia?”

____

Sonia stared down at her feet, hair hanging in a golden curtain around her face. She did not speak, ever the mediator. Even when she didn’t deserve to be. 

____

Gundham glanced at her, and then back to Kazuichi. He was what looked to be a mixture of shock and nervousness, nervous for obvious reasons, and shocked at the idea that Gundham could get genuinely angry. Setting aside his marginally ridiculous antics and his scarf full of hamsters, he was, on an objective level, a physically imposing presence, and could be genuinely intimidating if he so desired. Souda was experiencing this firsthand, and in doing so began to back away slowly. Gundham grabbed him by the shoulder, stone-faced and voice low.

____

“Do not encroach on the Lady’s personal boundaries like this again, for if you do, I promise the outcome will not be as amicable as this one. Understood?” Kazuichi gave a curt nod and a quick apology, turning on his heel and practically sprinting off as soon as Gundham released his grip on him. 

____

As soon as he was out of sight, he turned to Sonia, wanting to comfort her, but not wanting to overstep and violate her boundaries as Kazuichi had done. He took a step towards her and spoke, in a softer voice, a warmer one. 

____

“Lady Sonia, are you—” His voice trailed off as he saw her shoulders shaking, her arms hugging her chest. 

____

“I am so terribly sorry that you had to deal with that on my behalf, Tanaka-san, I should have been able to manage him myself but I have just been terribly exhausted lately, and in poor spirits, and I did not have the resolve to deal with this as assertively as I should as the Ultimate Princess and I am so sorry—”

____

“Sonia-san” Gundham cut her off mid rant, leaving a moment of silence between the two, before continuing softly. He was blushing ferociously, feeling terribly nervous about what he was about to suggest. He despised the idea of being touched, and did his best to ensure that did not happen in his day to day life. From the layers of clothing, to the already present wrappings of bandages for protection while working, he kept himself covered, for he felt himself to be repulsive to others. Or at least to himself. 

____

However, he put this aside to the best of his ability, for Sonia’s sake. Normally she was such a vibrant, positive, and assertive individual, often astonishingly so in his opinion. Gundham Tanaka, despite his commitment to all things dark and seemingly devious, could not help but smile, albeit internally, whenever she entered a room. She was like a ray of sunshine, unceasingly positive, unintentionally hilarious at times, quirky in her interests and keen on sharing them, and assertive about her beliefs. Above all, he had never seen her cry—at most, he caught her looking a tad more fatigued than usual at breakfast every once and awhile. 

____

He shut his eyes for a split second and took a deep breath before continuing. 

____

“My Lady,” he said, feeling his palms grow clammy as he continued, “I must warn you about the poisonous disposition of my touch, but for a higher being such as yourself, I wanted to extend the offer, and subsequent risk, of an embrace to console you if you wish…”

____

He looked off to the side, pulling his scarf up further around his cheeks to hide his now beet-red complexion. Sonia perked up, sniffling a bit as she responded quietly.

____

“Do you mean a hug, Tanaka-san?”

____

Gundham brought his eyes back to Sonia’s, practically burning alive as the two made eye contact. She looked up at him, expression full of anticipation, twirling her hair in her fingers anxiously as she did. A ghost of a smile played on his lips as he responded, in what was practically a whisper with how close to one another they had drifted. 

____

“Yes.”

____

Sonia practically jumped on him, much to his surprise as he tried to stop himself from tripping backwards onto the boardwalk. This, unfortunately, (or arguably fortunately), did not work, which saw Gundham Tanaka landing hard on the walkway, the wind knocked out of him. Sonia Nevermind landed square on his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck, and laughing into his jacket. He begun to laugh too—not one of his usual ‘sinister’ laughs that he often used to emphasize his dramatic statements, but a genuine laugh. It was hearty, and warm, and slightly higher in pitch than his normal speaking voice, and Sonia was clearly loving every second of it. 

____

They just lay there awhile, tangled up on the boardwalk in the moonlight, at 1:00 in the morning, laughing their asses off. Gundham had not felt like this in a long while, had not felt so free. For this split second in time, he did not feel the need to act any particular way or put any walls up. There were not any facades, just the feeling of Sonia’s warm head on his chest, the two of them shaking with laughter, softly illuminated by the stars. 

____

After awhile of just laying there, remaining curled up together for a bit after their laughter subsided, Sonia lifted herself up and squared her arms on each side of Gundham’s head, faces inches apart. He could feel her breath on his skin and blushed for the thousandth time that day. 

____

“Thank you for everything, Takana-san. I feel quite a bit better now, and I want to thank you very much for allowing me your company.” She said this with a soft sing-song ring to her voice, smiling all the while. 

____

“It has been no pleasure other than mine, my Lady, I assure you of that,” Gundham responded as calmly as he could manage, sporting a small grin as he did so. Sonia giggled, and pulled herself off of him as she stood up.

____

“It is quite late, so I suppose I should be going to my cottage now,” she said, dusting off her forest green skirt and gathering her things. Gundham stood there anxiously, very much unsure of what would be situationally appropriate and courteous to do next. 

____

“Well, are you not going to accompany me? You do not have to, but you are more than welcome to if you would like, Tanaka-san!” Sonia inquired, beginning to waltz off in the direction of her home. Gundham rushed to catch up with her, matching her stride as he met her side. Sonia, ever so bold, casually slipped her hand in his. 

____

Oddly, Gundham did not find himself losing his shit again. A welcome anomaly indeed.

____

The two walked, hand in hand, reveling in the comfortable silence of the starry night, and in one another’s pleasant company. Sonia’s cottage door came too soon for Gundham’s liking, but it was beginning to approach the ungodly late hours of the morning and he would rather have her get a good night’s rest. 

____

“Tanaka-san,” she said, turning to him and grasping both of his hands in hers, “thank you for turning an unsavory evening to a wonderful one. I hope to see you like this again soon.”

____

Before Gundham could answer, she stood up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. He reached to tug his scarf up even further, which was more for his than her comfort at this point. She giggled at him as she pulled the key to her cottage from her dress pocket and unlocked her door. 

____

Just as she stepped inside, she darted her head back out once more to speak to Gundham, who was still frozen in place, hands fiddling with his scarf, face still fire-engine red. 

____

“I assure you,” she told him, cheeks a bit warm herself, “that you are more than welcome to request my company whenever you would like. I enjoy your company very much, so by all means let me know. Good night, Tanaka-san!” 

____

With this, she slowly shut her front door, Gundham only turning to walk home when he heard the lock click, and her footsteps trail off inside. Now that he was fully and truly alone, he let himself smile from ear to ear, hand reaching up to softly graze his cheek, where her lips had touched it. 

____

Perhaps, Gundham mused as his shadow trailed behind him in the pale moonlight, he did have a tiny bit of a crush on Sonia Nevermind.

____

And perhaps he didn’t mind.

____

**Author's Note:**

> welp! you survived it. uhh let me know if you enjoyed it, with comments or kudos if you want haha. also, i beta'd it myself so if there are any errors thats on me lmao. also honorifics confuse me so just pretend this makes sense 👁👄👁


End file.
